


Smudges of Love

by larryologymajor



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Best friend Luke, Fluff, Kitten, Single Parent Ashton Irwin, Toddlers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-10-11 11:46:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17446370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larryologymajor/pseuds/larryologymajor
Summary: 5SOS oneshot...single dad!Ashton auLuke thinks Ashton and his daughter are lonely, so he does something about it.(Or the time Luke got Ashton's toddler daughter the best birthday gift ever!)





	Smudges of Love

**Author's Note:**

> So, I had this crazy realistic nightmare the other night where Ashton was NOT a good person (I blame the 12 episodes of Law & Order SVU I watched on Saturday.) Anyway, I really wanted to write something fluffy to dream about instead. I hope you enjoy! <3  
> ***

**Smudges of Love**

Ashton glanced at his watch as he strolled through the front door of his modest two-story home in a quaint neighborhood on the outskirts of the LA metro. He was late. His afternoon coffee meeting ran much longer than he anticipated. "Emily?" he called out to his babysitter.

"We're in the bathroom, Mr. Irwin. It's bath time for Miss Aubrey," Ashton heard Emily call from upstairs.

Emily was a college student who lived in Ashton's neighborhood. When he and his daughter Aubrey moved from their third floor flat to a newly purchased single-family house ten months ago, he was unsure how he would handle last minute childcare situations. Finding Emily was an utter fluke. Almost weekly Ashton said a thank you prayer to the magical wind that haphazardly dropped her babysitting flier into his yard one windy afternoon. Emily was an absolute godsend, and Ashton practically considered her family. Ashton never thought he’d be a single parent at 35, but here he was. He was thankful for Emily and the support of his three best friends.

Ashton tossed his briefcase on the bench in the foyer and unzipped his leather boots, kicking them under the bench. He passed through the living room and climbed the stairs two at a time. He headed towards the bathroom and stuck his head through the doorway. His face lit up like the sun when he saw his barely-three year old daughter splashing in the bathtub. "Hi sweet pea, daddy's home!" Ashton greeted his daughter.

To Emily, Ashton added, "Hey, Em. I'm going to change into something comfy super quick."

Emily nodded. "Hey, welcome home."

As Ashton walked away, his daughter called after him, "Daddee, meeeowwwwww meeeooowwwww."

Ashton popped his head back into the bathroom and looked quizzically at Emily.

She shrugged. "I have no idea where that came from. She's been meowing since we came back from the park this afternoon."

"Maybe she saw a kitty on your walk?" Ashton called over his shoulder as he quietly closed his bedroom door. Aubrey was a quiet child. She would say words when she really wanted to or had something to say, but she mostly kept to herself. He was excited for the day they could hold conversations with her. For now, their home was quiet.

"How did it go today?" Ashton questioned Emily when he returned to the bathroom, smiling and grabbing Aubrey's pink hooded kitty towel from a towel bar.

Emily grinned. She loved babysitting Aubrey, in fact she was Emily's easiest client to care for and she was always happy to be called in last minute to babysit her. "Aubrey was a good girl today. After lunch we read a book and napped. Then we played in the park until 4:30, came home, washed up, ate the leftover chicken and risotto for dinner, and now here we are. She's all clean and this is her ten minutes of playtime. Umm, the only thing I didn't do was take care of our dinner dishes."

"Thanks, kiddo. I've got it from here. And no worries about the dishes. I'll Venmo you once I get her to bed later."

"Thank you, Mr. Irwin." Emily got up from her seat next to the tub and shuffled past Luke out the bathroom. She paused before descending the stairs. "Let me know if anything comes up tomorrow. The Brown's don't need me at all this week."

Ashton smiled at her and chuckled. "Will do." Tomorrow was Aubrey's birthday and their only plan was dinner with his three best friends.

Emily closed the front door behind her and left smiling.

Ashton stopped down to pull the plug on the bathtub drain. "Are you ready to get out?" He questioned the toddler, knowing she didn't really comprehend his question. He reached down to scoop her up and she immediately lifted her arms so he could wrap her up in the kitty towel.

"Daddee uppie uppie," she commanded. Ashton swaddled her in the towel and lifted her to his chest, nuzzling her wet curls with his nose. Aubrey was a spitting image of him down to the unruly curls and gleaming hazel eyes. Her curls were more unruly than his, he thought; combing them was the most difficult part of their bathing routine. He quickly spritzed a detangler in her hair with one hand while he held her up with the other arm. He brushed her hair and let her attempt to brush her teeth.

As Ashton dressed Aubrey for bed, she meowed again. "Girlfriend, what is with all the meowing tonight?" he laughed and blew a raspberry on her tummy. Aubrey giggled hysterically and Ashton was thinking that he should tell his best friends, Luke, Calum, and Michael about the meows.

Ashton tucked Aubrey into bed newly acquired big girl bed. He laid gingerly on the edge and snuggled up with his baby. She loved lullabies and stories at bedtime, so Ashton reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the princess fairy tales book they've been working their way through.

Ashton spent about 15 minutes reading before Aubrey yawned and he watched her eyes flutter shut. "Wub you daddee," her tiny voice whispered. She was on the verge of falling into deep sleep so he kept reading. Several pages later, he abruptly stopped. Ashton swore he heard a small meow. He closed his eyes and opened them really wide, hoping to fend off his own sleepiness and hallucinations of meows.

Moments later, Ashton feathered a kiss to Aubrey's forehead then got up and made his way downstairs. He silently ate his own leftover dinner and cleared the dishes.

He climbed the stairs avoiding the creaky step near the top. As Ashton tiptoed down the hallway to his room, he thought he heard a light thump followed by another tiny meow. "I am clearly losing it," he whispered to himself.

Ashton brushed his teeth, combed his hair back into a loose topknot, and washed his face in preparation for bed. He turned on the small bedside table in his room then turned off the overhead light. His bare feet padded quietly down the hall to Aubrey's room where he would check on her once more before climbing into his own bed.

Ashton entered Aubrey's room and froze. Illuminated only by her nightlight, Ashton could see a tiny body on her pillow that wasn't there when he tucked her in. He blinked and the body moved slightly. He blinked a second time, hoping he was seeing things, but caught a glimpse of light reflecting off a pair of eyes. His limbs were frozen in fear and he could feel his heart thudding out of his chest.

 _Meeeooowwwwww_.

Ashton quickly flipped on the overhead light. Cuddled up next to Aubrey was the tiniest kitten Ashton had ever seen. In the bright light, she (or maybe he?) blinked her eyes at Ashton twice then closed them and lowered her head back down to cuddle up with Aubrey.

 _What the fuck,_ Ashton thought out loud, mystified how this tiny kitten got into the house.

He padded lightly over to her bed and scratched the kitten on its head. The kitten mewed and butted her head against Ashton's hand, then licked his thumb. Aubrey stirred lightly and Ashton was afraid she was waking up so he quietly backed up.

Aubrey's little hand and chubby fingers found the body of the kitten and snuggled it closer to her face. Still fast asleep, she murmured, "My kitty. Wub you kitty."

Ashton's heart melted. He quietly snuck back into his bedroom and grabbed his phone.

He quickly typed out a text to the group chat he shared with his best friends:

> Guys, I think we've adopted a kitten here. I'll explain tomorrow but can someone swing by the store to pickup an online order for me and bring it over?

Within minutes, Ashton had placed an online order for canned kitten food, kitten kibble, litter box and scoop, cat litter, food and water bowls and plates, collar with a jingle bell, brush, kitty shampoo, a fluffy beige-colored bed, and a few cat toys. _Jeeze_ , he thought, _this is like having another kid._ He really had no idea what a kitten needed but he figured that would do for now. The rest he could figure out tomorrow.

Seconds later his phone dinged. He snatched it up and found a text from Luke:

> Ha, that's gonna be an interesting story. I'm on it. When and where?

Ashton tapped out the details and made himself a cup of tea while he waited for Luke. He sat at the table warming his hands around the mug and inhaling the lavender scent. It was early autumn and the sun was dipping into the horizon, throwing beautiful streaks of pink and orange across the sky. Although it was only 7, he was exhausted. He started appreciatively out the window at the paint-like sky for a few minutes then put his head down on his arms folded across the table and closed his eyes to rest for a few minutes.

Luke let himself in the back door and set the three bags down in the kitchen. Ashton was slumped over in his chair fast asleep. Luke gently shook his should to wake him. "Hey dad, I'm here with your kitty supplies."

Ashton raised his head and looked at Luke sleepily. "Ugh, thanks. When I got home, Emily-"

Luke cut him off, "the super hot babysitter?"

Ashton rolled his eyes and fake punched Luke in the shoulder. Luke totally had a thing for Emily, and although he teased Ashton about her, he would never act on it. "Dude, no. She's just a kid. Get your mind out of the gutter." Emily was cute, but not exactly step-mom material. She would have been Ashton's type ten years ago.

"All is fair in love and war," Luke recited.

Ashton rolled his eyes again. "Anyway, Emily said that Aubrey has been meowing all afternoon since they came back from the park. Several times tonight I could have sworn that I heard the tiniest little meow inside the house. After I put Aubs to bed, I came down to eat dinner. Then when I went back in to check on her I found this tiny ass kitten sleeping on her pillow!!"

Luke cocked an eyebrow, looking as surprised as Ashton felt. "Seriously?"

"Nooo," Ashton started sarcastically. "I just needed an excuse to see your gorgeous face at 8pm on a Tuesday night."

Luke let out a belly laugh and grabbed one of the cat bags. He marched towards the stairs, knowing his way around Ashton's house like it was his own. "I want to see this mythical creature you have hiding in the house."

Now it was Ashton‘s turn to laugh. He picked up the other two bags and jogged to catch up to Luke, who was already at the top of the stairs.

They set the bags in the hall and Ashton lead the way into Aubrey's room. He held his pointer finger to his lips shushing Luke and Luke stuck out his tongue; he obviously didn't need a reminder to be quiet.

Ashton flipped the bedside lamp on, and sure enough, the tiny kitten was still perched on Aubrey's pillow, fast asleep.

Luke instinctively reached for the kitten and scooped it up, being rewarded with a mewl and a purr. He stepped into the hallway to get a better look at the two-pound creature that easily fit into his palm. He carefully flipped the kitten over to inspect its genitals. "Aww, Ash. I think you have a baby girl on your hands." Luke nuzzled the kitten with his nose and passed her to Ashton.

"Wow, she's so tiny." Ashton breathed, holding the kitten at eye level. "And so pretty." He studied the kitten. She was a soft, solid cream color except for her cloud gray accents. Her ears and nose were striped gray with the typical tabby markings. And it looked like she walked through wet paint because her toes and the tip of her tail were streaked with the same soft gray color.

Ashton handed the kitten back to Luke and snapped the collar around her neck. Luke nuzzled her again; he was a sucker for pretty girls and small, fuzzy critters. "Welcome to the family, precious."

While Luke coaxed purrs from the kitten, Ashton busied himself dumping cat litter into the litter box. Next he filled a bowl with water, and smeared some wet food onto a plate. He carefully arranged them in the bathroom so neither Aubrey or him would trip on them. Luke handed the kitten to Ashton, and Ashton brought her into the bathroom. First he showed her the litter box. He set her in the box and moved her paws in the litter, praying that she had already learned to do this. Next, Ashton set her in front of her wet food. She sniffed the air once and dove straight for the plate. Both men laughed. She gobbled up her entire ration in less than 30 seconds.

"Poor baby was hungry," Ashton observed. Without warning, he let out a big yawn. "Let's get her back to Aubs so I can go to bed."

Luke scooped her up and the both tiptoed into Aubrey's room. "Do you mind if I tuck them in?" Luke questioned.

"Nah, go for it."

Luke gently slipped the kitty onto Aubrey's pillow. He leaned in to kiss Aubrey on the forehead and whispered, "happy birthday, peanut! I hope you love the kitty I picked out for you."

Aubrey's eyes popped open. "UNCLE LUKEY?!" Her jaw gaped open, barely awake. "YOU BROUGHT ME SMUDGE? I WUB SMUDGE!" Aubrey sat up and snuggled the kitty closer.

Once again, Ashton was so confused.

Aubrey continued, "You are the bestest uncle ever Uncle Lukey!" She reached for Luke's hand and tugged him down to her until they were eye to eye. She leaned toward Luke and planted a smacking wet kiss on his cheek. "I wub you so much!"

Ashton narrowed his eyes at Luke. "Did you really do what I think you did?"

"Busted!" Luke grinned sheepishly. "I knew you would say no to me getting a kitty for Aubs, so I decided to sneak it in while you were all out earlier. Surprise? I'd have gotten you a D-O-G because you're missing out. Me, Cal, and Mikey know what's up. But I figured a kitty was easier to deal with."

Both men looked at the adoration on Aubrey‘s face. Ashton could see the love radiating from her smile and he was gone. "You're the worst best friend I could have asked for," Ashton laughed. "Thanks. How long have you had her?"

Luke leaned down again to scratch the kitty's head. "I picked her up four days ago. She's as calm as can be, you're really going to love her. I kinda think Petunia was angry at me when I took her away. Motherhood was really growing on her," Luke laughed.

Aubrey got excited when she heard Petunia's name. "Patooma is Smudge's mommy??" she questioned.

Luke laughed again. Aubrey loved his dog as much as he did. "Nah, peanut. Petunia isn't kitty's mom. But they are best friends, just like me, and daddy, and Uncle Mikey and Uncle Cal. Maybe you and kitty can come visit Petunia this weekend. I think she'd love to see you!"

Aubrey pouted. "Kitty isn't kitty!!" she yelled. "Kitty is Smudge! She has lotsa dirty smudges!"

Both Ashton and Luke chuckled. Ashton crossed over to Aubrey and Luke stepped away.

Ashton scooped up Aubrey and Smudge. "Sweet pea, Smudge is the most perfect name for your kitty. Let's get you both tucked in again."

Aubrey looked tired and complied without complaint. She snuggled down into her blanket and whispered, "I wub you daddee! I wub you Uncle Lukey! I wub you Smudge! And I wub Uncle Cal. And I wub Uncle Mikey. And I wub Patooma."

"Shhhh," Ashton interrupted her list. His little girl had the biggest heart and could go in for hours naming all the people she loved. "Get some rest sweet pea, I love you!" He kissed her forehead, turned off the lights and left her door open a crack.

Both men returned downstairs. "You're a bastard," Ashton told Luke. "The most lovable bastard I know. Thanks for the precious gift."

Luke slipped on his shoes and grabbed his phone and keys off the counter. "Yeah, yeah," he smiled. "You both deserve some companionship to cure the loneliness. You'll love Smudge in no time too."

Ashton threw his arms around Luke to hug him. "Love you brother, goodnight!"

"Love you, too." And then Luke was gone, slipping out the back door.

Ashton flipped off all the downstairs lights and sprinted back upstairs, skipping the squeaky stair at the top. He slipped into bed and wondered what the hell just happened. He closed his eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Just before dawn, Ashton felt the bed dip beside him. Then he felt his pillow dip too. He rolled over and found Aubrey in his bed, and Smudge on his pillow. He pulled them both close, sighed contentedly, and went back to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> ***  
> Thanks for reading! <3 Was there something in here that made you laugh or smile? I’d like to know - a comment would really make my day!
> 
> Come say hi on [Tumblr](https://thestudyof5sos.tumblr.com).


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